Folding camp stool



arch 28, m67 J. D. @00Kv 3,311,071

FOLDING CAMP STOOL Filed April P75, 1956 MIS JAMES D. 000K ATTO/Q/VEYS United States Patent O 3,311,071 FOLDING CAMP STOOL James D. Cook, 406 Pleasant Drive, Monett, Mo. 65708 Filed Apr. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 544,724 1 Claim. (Cl. 10S-119) This invention relates to a folding camp stool and more particularly to a folding stool wherein pairs of legs of the stool cross each other and are pivoted at substantially their center and one pair of legs has its upper ends pivoted to the side rails of the seat portion.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a stool of this character which is light, durable, inexpensive to manufacture and which can be readily folded or unfolded so it will occupy a small space both in use and when not in use for shipment; to provide a seat portion having side rails carrying a spacer plate transversely of the slats of the seat portion and to which is secured a str'ap having a hook for engaging the dowel pin in one end of a pair of legs to hold the stool in erect position for use; and to provide a device of this character wherein the pairs of legs will t one within the other when the stool is not in use and also when unfolded for shipment.

The folding camp stool is an improvement over former camp stools wherein the free ends of a pair of legs were attached or fit into the underneath side of the seat portion and required tie members to support the same and connect them with the seat portion along the edge of such seat portion, and others requiring the legs to be of one piece or having a Icross member engaging under the flange of the seat portion; such prior stools being more expensive to make and not as sturdy as my invention when in use.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set fort-h by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention. l

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my folding camp stool with a part of the seat broken away to illustrate the hook means for the one pair of legs.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the stool showing the plate member secured underneath the slat seat with the Ihook member engaging the dowel of t-he leg.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, particularly illustrating the movement of the legs with the pair of legs including the dowel pin moving into the hook member.

FIG. 4 is a bottom pl'an view of the legs pivoted from one end of the seat portion.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view showing the legs extending in the opposite direction and in general position for shipment or carrying.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a stool embodying the features of my invention comprising a seat portion 2 having side rails 3 and 4 to which are attached transversely thereof a plurality of spaced slats 5 by fasteners such as nails or the like as indicated at 6. v

Secured underneath the seat 2 `and transversely of the slats 5 about midway between the rails 3 and 4 and near the edge 7 of the seat :is a spacing plate 8 to which is secured by rivets or the like 9 and 10 an elongated strap member 11 having a hook portion 12 facing to the rear edge 13 of the seat for a purpose later described.

Two pairs of legs 14 and 15 are provided for supporting the seat 2 of the stool. The legs of each pair cross each other and are pivoted together at substantially their centers by pins 16 and 17 forming X-shape supports for the seat 2. The outer pair of legs 14 are connected near their lower ends by a tie bar or strut 18 and their upper ends 3,3 l 1,071 Patented Mar. 28, 1967 ice are pivoted to the inside of the rails 3 'and 4 by pins 19 and 20 and spaced from the rear end 13. It will thus be seen that the pair -of legs 14 as shown in FIG. 5 will lie alongside the rails 3 and 4 and the pair of legs 15 will lie inside the first pair of legs 14, also as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The upper end of the pair of legs 15 are secured together adjacent the ends 21 and 22 thereof by a dowel pin 23. This spacing is designed to be near the ends of the legs 21 and 22 for reasons presently shown. Spaced from the lower ends 24 and 25 of the pair of legs 15 and to hold the ends of the legs in spaced relationship is a dowel pin 26 `and is spaced substantially tolie parallel and slightly spaced from the -tie bar 18 of the pair of legs 14. The upper ends of both pairs of legs are rounded as indicated at 27 and 28 so that there will be no rough places, and particularly the upper ends of the pair of legs 15 will not contact the undersides of the slats 5. The lower ends Iof the pairs of legs 14 and 15 are beveled as indicated at 29 and 30 so as to solidly contact the surface upon which the stool is to be supported when in use and Ito prevent sliding thereon.

The upper ends of the pairs of legs 14 and 15 when rotated upon pins 19 and 20 will be free of contact with the underneath surface 31 of the slats 5 of the seat 2. When the stool is folded in the position shown in FIG. 5, the lowerportion of the legs or the cross tie bar 18 and dowel 26 may be grasped and the legs pivoted toward the rear 13 of the seat, and slightly before the pair of legs 14 reaches a vertical position or about the spacing as shown in FIG. 3, the upper portion of the pair of legs 15 or the dowel 23 is grasped by the hand and the pairs of legs move forwardly until the dowel pin will engage the spacing plate 8 and continued forward movement of the upper ends of the pair of legs 15 will cause the dowel to engage under the hook portion 12 of the plate 11. It will be seen that after the legs are moved forwardly until the pair of legs 14 reach the position as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, it is impossible for the upper rounded ends 27 and 28 to engage the underneath side 31 of the slats 5 of the seat 2 thereby moving smoothly into the hook portion 12 so that the stool is ready for use. As long as there is weight on the seat 2, the stool will remain in rigid upright position, and it is impossible to disengage the dowel 23 from the hook 12.

In order to disengage the dowel from the hook, the stool may be lifted and the weight of the leg portions will disengage the dowel from the hook and continued movement will cause the pair of legs 15 to engage and extend parallel with the inside of the pair of legs 14. Both pairs of legs 14 and 15 may then be rotated on a pin 19 and 20 to lie inside of the side rails 3 and 4 as shown in FIG. 5 ready for transportation or for packing.

It will be noted that the pairs of legs are substantially the same length, and the length of the inner pair of legs is such that the upper end will pass under the slats of the seat and the spacing of the hook is important so that the ends of the inner pair of legs will pass freely underneath the slats. The inside curvature of the hook is substantially equal to the external curvature ofthe dowel pin, and the axis of the hook curvature is symmetrically positioned on the opposite side of the unfolded stools vertical center line from the outer legs pivot point. This is necessary in order to have the stool perform properly.

While I have here illustrated my stool to be made of lwood, other materials may be used, such as plastic, metal or the like.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that I have provided an improved folding camp stool which may be quickly assembled for use and disassembled and packed for shipment or for stacking in a small space and one which is sturdy when in use.

3 It is tofbe understood that While I have illustrated and described one forrn of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown excep-t insofar as such limitations are included in the claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A folding stool comprising:

(a) a seat portion having sides and front and rear edges and including side rails depending from said sides, (b) a spacer plate secured to the underneath side of said seat portion extending parallel with said side rails 'near the front edge thereof,

(c) a strap member secured to said plate and having a hook portion facing the rear edge of said se'at p0rtion,

(d) inner 'and outer pairs of legs iof substantially equal lengths, each pair of legs crossing each other and pivotally `secured together at substantially their respective vcenters when said stool is in unfolded position,

(e) means pivotally securing the upper ends of the outer pair of legs to said side rails near the rear edge of said seat,

(f) a dowel pin connecting the upper ends of the inner References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Lee 108-119 Washburn 10S-116 Hodgkins 108-119 Otte 10S-119 Schwartz et al. 108-119 Pandolfo 10S- 119 Bussey 10S-115 X FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner. 

